5 Nonsurgical Treatment Options for Degenerative Disc Disease

Your spine is a complex structure made up of multiple interconnected parts. The spinal column is built of a series of small vertebral bones spaced apart by spinal discs that separate and cushion them.

Degenerative disc disease is a condition typically related to age. Your spinal discs can start to dry out, becoming flatter and weaker. Without the spongy cushioning discs you need, you can start to suffer from symptoms like back pain.

Our team offers comprehensive spinal care at Total Spine Institute of Sherman Oaks and Calabasas, California. Dr. Andrew Fox and Dr. Ryan Mattie provide expert spine surgery to address advanced degenerative disc disease. 

However, before you go under the knife for invasive surgical treatment, you may want to explore nonsurgical treatment options for degenerative disc disease, like those listed below.

Degenerative disc disease doesn’t have a cure. But, working with the Total Spine Institute team, you can find relief from symptoms and prevent related complications like spinal stenosis (spine narrowing) or disc herniation (a spinal disc slipping out of position).

1. Physical therapy

Active and passive physical therapy treatments can help strengthen your back, neck, and core and release muscle tension that leads to pain. Passive physical therapy includes therapeutic massage. Your provider at Total Spinal Institute may also recommend gentle, active physical therapy exercises or stretches to better support your spine.

Stick with your physical therapy plan, and your spinal issues could improve without the need for more invasive forms of treatment!

2. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections

While time and wear-and-tear result in degeneration, your body also possesses natural regenerative capabilities. Regenerative medicine treatments like PRP injections tap into those abilities, focusing your natural healing where you need it most.

PRP treatments are based on a sample of your own blood, processed through a centrifuge to isolate the PRP elements. Injections return the concentrated PRP to the area around your spine where you need regeneration and new cellular growth.

3. Anti-inflammatory medication

Inflammation around your spine can become cyclical, with inflammation resulting in nerve pain and stress that causes further inflammation. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen let you break that cycle, giving you temporary pain relief.

4. Epidural corticosteroid injections

You may benefit from injections targeting the spinal joints around your damaged discs for more lasting pain relief. Epidural injections provide pain relief with corticosteroids and local anesthetic medications.

5. Nerve blocks

Nerve blocks provide effective pain relief related to spinal issues and can also help the team at Total Spine Institute to learn more about the areas of your spine negatively impacted by degenerative disc disease. Nerve blocks prevent pain signals from reaching your brain, giving pinched or compressed nerves a break and protecting you from back or neck pain.

To learn more about your surgical and nonsurgical treatment options for degenerative disc disease, contact the team at Total Spine Institute. You can schedule your initial consultation appointment at one of our California locations over the phone today or book with our easy-to-use online tool.